Not So Charmed
by Taynna
Summary: A witch in need shows up on the Charmed Ones' doorstep and they find themselves in the midst of a centuries old battle between a line of Witches and their Warlock counterparts. MidSeason 3. WIP it will be finished, I swear, just not saying when
1. Chapter One

Not So Charmed  
By: Taynna  
  
Disclaimer: Why do we write these? Everyone and their sister knows that I can't claim any ownership of these characters. If I could, this would be on film and people would be writing fanfic about it. Devona and anyone else you don't recognize, however, DO belong to me.  
  
Setting: Mid-Season three. Phoebe is still in school, they know Cole is Balthazor and he hasn't yet decided to give up his powers, Leo and Piper aren't engaged yet. Paige doesn't exist in this story, just because. I started outlining this fic before that and I'm way too lazy to change it now!  
  
  
  
  
She was running and she was scared.  
  
One of her favorite things about the small house was the peace it had offered her. It was far away from the bright glare of the city's lights, from the crush of too many people in too small a space making it nearly impossible to think or breathe. As her mother had once told her, she was too sensitive to other people to live among so many, especially when such a great majority of them were unhappy with their lives. The move to her isolated haven had given her back the peace that the city had stolen from her; it had helped her to heal her soul.  
  
Now, as she ran through the dense forest, that same solitude threatened her life.  
  
She choked back a scream of pain as she tripped, twisting her ankle and sprawling face first on the path. She pushed herself up angrily, refusing to give up, refusing to die like an animal hunted down for sport. That's what she was to Asura, something to be hunted down and killed for fun; she could hear him laughing in the distance somewhere behind her, enjoying the chase and knowing that he would catch her.  
  
That he would kill her.  
  
She came to a fork in the path that indicated she was a near equal distance from the main highway and her nearest neighbors, the Denglers. She turned toward their home, hoping that they would be there to help her.  
  
A voice whispered, "Devona."  
  
She gasped and turned, expecting to find Asura, but found empty air instead. "Who's there?" She whispered desperately, "Help me, please."  
  
"Devona." Again, a soft whisper in a warm, comforting male voice, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.  
  
"Help me!" She pleaded, not caring who or what it was, as long as it could help her escape.  
  
"Go to the road, Devona."  
  
She paused in mid-step and glanced once in the direction of the Dengler's house. (They can't help you. You'll only put them in danger's path). This voice was internal and made her pause. She closed her eyes and murmured a soft prayer to anyone willing to listen, then turned in the other direction, toward the highway.  
  
She came out of the trees suddenly, exploding across the small field that separated the line of the forest from the highway. She cried out in despair; he was closing in on her quickly and the road was empty. No one was going to save her. The mysterious voice had been wrong, just her own frightened mind giving form to her own desperate need for help.  
  
She reached the edge of the road and turned to see Asura emerge from the tree line, with a feral grin on his cruel, handsome face.  
  
Devona collapsed to her knees on the white centerline; she couldn't run anymore, even if she could have, she had nowhere left to run to.  
  
Asura halted his approach at the edge of the pavement and laughed cruelly. "I told you I would kill you, witch. You and your daughter."  
  
"Please, Asura!" She begged, "Please! Don't do this!"  
  
He laughed again.  
  
"I told you, I am not a witch! I don't have a daughter. I'm not who you think I am! Please believe me!" She sobbed.  
  
"Oh, but you are." He mocked her, taking a few steps forward, prolonging his moment of triumph. "You are *exactly* who and what I thought you were."  
  
"No, I'm not." She insisted weakly. Even as she denied it vocally, something deep inside her connected with his words. "I'm not." But this time her voice was uncertain.  
  
"You can feel the truth in my words," He smirked. "It's only one of the many gifts you inherited from your mother." He circled her slowly as he continued, moving closer with each turn, "You have her beauty as well." He reached down to fun his fingertips across her cheek, "So beautiful."  
  
"No!" She jerked away from his hand violently, "Don't touch me."  
  
"It doesn't matter, dearest. You're already dead."  
  
He moved to grab her, to end his game of cat and mouse, when a fierce wind suddenly came up and blew across them, carrying with it the faint tang of an ocean breeze and a man's cologne; a down to earth, solid scent that renewed her hope and resolve.  
  
Asura snarled as a sudden, bright light behind Devona blinded him. She realized with a sudden start that he couldn't see her.  
  
"Devona." She spun, looking for the source of the voice, noting peripherally that the light that had had such an effect on Asura barely caused her to squint. "Get in the car, Devona."  
  
Surprised, she looked behind her. There was a car there that hadn't been there even a few seconds before. She could make out the outline of the man behind the wheel, beckoning her into the car. "Devona, please!" It was the familiar voice that had guided her, but this time it had a source, the man in the car.  
  
She stole a last glance at Asura, lying on the ground, cowering and covering his eyes, then got into the mysterious car. She didn't know how it had gotten there and she didn't particularly care. Asura was beginning to recover and between the two options she had, her choice was simple.  
  
As soon as she got into the car, it sped away towards San Francisco. When she couldn't see Asura as more than a speck behind them she turned in her seat to study her rescuer.  
  
He was handsome, with short, rich brown hair and warm, humor filled brown eyes. He wore what looked like a nice, if off the rack, brown suit, the jacket was in the back seat, the tie missing, and sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up. It was difficult to tell sitting down, but she guessed that he was a little taller than average. His shoulders and jaw were strong, giving the impression of a grand protector. "Who *are* you?"  
  
He gave her a brief smile that radiated calm and warmth, "I'm a friend. I'll take you somewhere safe for the night and then tell you how to find some people I know who can help you."  
  
She leaned back in the seat and returned his easy smile, despite her anxiety, "Does my new friend have a name?"  
  
He chuckled, "It's safer for both of us if you don't know, just remember that I'm looking after you, Devona."  
  
His voice remained warm and friendly; still, she could tell that she wouldn't learn anything more about him. "Where are we going?"  
  
"San Francisco. I'll tell you were to go. When you get there, tell them a warlock named Asura is trying to kill you and that one of Leo's colleagues sent you."  
  
She frowned at the cryptic message. "They can help me?"  
  
He answered firmly, without hesitation. "Absolutely. I wouldn't send you there otherwise. Now get some rest." He gripped her hand briefly where it rested on the seat.  
  
She nodded, suddenly too tired to protest. It was almost as if his touch had drained her ability to stay awake. A few minutes ago she'd been wide awake… and now she just couldn't keep her eyes open.  
  
End of Part One


	2. Chapter Two

Part Two  
  
Author's Notes: When I wrote this I was still under the impression that Whitelighters worked in secret. Later episodes screwed with that, but I'm holding to the original theory, where a whitelighter wouldn't just use their powers to outright save their witch. In this case, Devona's whitelighter has saved her without her realizing just how supernatural he is.  
  
  
  
Devona woke gradually to the sounds of sea gulls and the hypnotic lull of surf crashing over rocks. The car was parked beside the road on one of the scenic cliff views of the Pacific Ocean, which was living up to its peaceful name in the early morning light. She got out of the car and sat on the hood. The dew on the hood of the car indicated that it had been parked there since before dawn. She looked at her watch, eight am.  
  
In the early morning light, looking over the wide expanse of the water glittering cheerfully, the previous night's events seemed more like a strange nightmare than reality. She pounded the hood of the car several times; it felt real enough. She had no idea where it had come from, but it was very real. It lent more credibility to the amazing events she remembered. It was insane, but she found herself trusting the crazy memories.  
  
She slipped off the hood of the car and walked around to the driver's side door. The keys were still in the ignition and a note with directions was taped to the wheel.  
  
She tapped the roof of the car for a long moment, torn between believing her memory and trusting her mysterious savior or driving to the nearest police station. She took a deep breath then got in and started the car. As crazy as it seemed, Asura was real and she needed help that the police couldn't give her.  
  
She tore the directions off the wheel; though she was reluctant to trust anyone, she felt that fate was pushing her in this direction, that no matter what she did she would end up there.  
  
*****  
  
"Prue!"  
  
"Morning, Phoebe." Piper yawned as she walked slowly down the stairs towards the kitchen.  
  
"Morning, Piper." She replied, distracted, while rifling through a pile of papers on the desk by the foot of the stairs. She shouted up the stairs again, louder than before.  
  
"What is it, Phoebe?" Her eldest sister answered grumpily form the landing, still in her pajamas.  
  
"Have you seen my psychology notes? They were here last night. I'm going to be late to class."  
  
Prue joined her at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you sure that you put them here? Have you looked in the kitchen?"  
  
"Yes." Phoebe pouted.  
  
Prue sighed, "Here they are."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Under these photographs," She said, and handed the elusive notebook to her sister.  
  
"Oh, thank you *so* much, Prue!" Phoebe glanced at her watch then exclaimed, "I'm so late!" She grabbed her purse off the hall table and quickly opened the door, nearly colliding with the young woman standing there about to knock. "Hi." The woman just stared at her. "Are you alright?" Phoebe asked, looking her over. They appeared to be about the same age, she had shoulder length blonde hair and deep green eyes. She was a little taller than Phoebe was with lithe, athletic build. She looked scared and uncertain, as if she might flee at any moment.  
  
The girl swallowed hard and nodded vaguely, "Is this the Halliwell house?"  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
The woman took a deep breath, "I need your help." She took another breath, gasping this time, closer to panic, "Please."  
  
Phoebe glanced down at her notebook and sighed. She didn't need a vision to realize that she wouldn't be in class this morning. "Come in."  
  
"My name is Devona." She said, stepping carefully over the threshold. "I was told that you could help me."  
  
Phoebe nodded and swallowed her questions for the moment. "I'll get my sisters, you can sit on the couch." She pointed her toward the living room.  
  
In the kitchen, Prue and Piper were sitting hunched over cups of coffee, trying valiantly to wake up when Phoebe walked in.  
  
"I thought you left." Piper remarked.  
  
"I tried. There's a girl here who says she needs our help."  
  
Prue and Piper both stopped drinking their coffee and gave each other ironic looks. "What kind of help?" Piper asked slowly.  
  
"Well, she didn't say, but she looks scared."  
  
Piper looked up hopefully, "Demon scared or 'my care broke down' scared?" It was clear from her tone which she was hoping for.  
  
Phoebe opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Prue, "Don't bother, we already know the answer." She pushed herself back from the table and moved toward the living room with her coffee still in hand. "Are you coming?"  
  
Piper groaned, "I am going to need more coffee." She got up reluctantly to follow her sisters.  
  
  
Devona stood quickly when they entered the room. She was silent while Phoebe introduced her sisters, acknowledging them both with a nod. "I was told that you could help me."  
  
Prue nodded and spoke with the certainty of the oldest sibling, charged with the protection of those younger than she. "We will, if we can. What kind of trouble are you in?"  
  
Devona smiled weakly at Prue in thanks, glad someone else had taken control of the situation. "He said that I should tell you my name is Devona Marron, that I need protection from a warlock named Asura, and that a colleague of Leo's sent me." She held her breath, waiting for them to pronounce her crazy and suggest she leave.  
  
Instead, the three sisters seemed to accept what she said without much reservation and only a little alarm.  
  
Prue glanced at her sisters and then turned back to Devona, "Who told you to come here?"  
  
Devona shook her head, "He didn't tell me his name. He rescued me from Asura last night and drove me into the city. When I woke up this morning I had car keys and directions to get me here."  
  
"I'll get the Book," Phoebe sighed, "You two get dressed."  
  
  
Half an hour later all four women were gathered around the Book of Shadows in the living room. Phoebe was in the middle flipping pages while the others watched over her shoulders.  
  
"I give up." Phoebe said, pushing the Book away. "He's not in here."  
  
"Are you sure?" Prue asked.  
  
"Completely positive, I've been through the Book twice now, there just isn't anything here." The doorbell interrupted anything else she was going to say.  
  
"I'll get it," Piper said, glad to have an excuse to get up and move around. She walked into the foyer and approached the door, trying, in vain, to get a glimpse through the stained glass windows.  
  
She pulled the door open quickly, prepared to freeze any threat on the other side.  
  
The man on the porch grinned at her, "Hey, careful with those hands. They're weapons."  
  
"Leo!" She pulled him inside and gave him a quick kiss. Then pulled him down for a longer kiss.  
  
He smiled, "Hello to you too." His smile faded a bit, "I wish I could say I was here just to see you. But..."  
  
Piper interrupted, "I know, she's in the living room."  
  
He nodded, "Good, she's safe here."  
  
Piper filled him in on their progress, or complete lack there of, as they re-entered the living room.  
  
End Part Two  
  
Okay, weird place to stop, nothing really happened, but I have to revamp the next part of my rough draft in order for this to remain worth reading. It seemed cruel to not write up what I could though.


	3. Chapter Three

Part Three  
  
  
  
  
"Leo!" Phoebe jumped up for a quick hug. "Please, tell me that you're here to help, because we're coming up empty."  
  
"It's good to see you too." He replied with an endearing smile. "Yes, I'm here to help."  
  
Devona stood slowly, studying him. "Are you the Leo that my 'friend' talked about?"  
  
"Yes, Devona, I am. I'm here to help you as much as I can. Go ahead and sit down." His voice was kind and soothing, his tone obviously meant to give encourage the anxious young woman to trust him.  
  
For one moment, it seemed she would argue and insist on standing. Instead, she sat slowly, focusing her attention on a strange mark at the base of one table leg and worked to ignore the events now taking place around her.  
  
"Can you tell us what we're up against here, Leo?" Prue asked, getting straight to the point.  
  
"You need to protect Devona, for now." He smiled at Prue then moved past her to kneel next to Devona's chair and, sensing that she wouldn't react well to actual physical contact from him until she could be certain of his motives, put one hand on the armrest near, but not touching, her arm. "Are you alright?"  
  
She gave him an ironic look, then nodded slightly, "Just scrapes and bruises," Her lips twisted in a wry smile that was more strained than joking, "and confusion and terror. I really don't understand what's going on. A week ago I wouldn't have believed any of this could happen but I've suddenly found myself in the middle of a supernatural thriller."  
  
He smiled reassuringly, "I can help you. WE can help you. I have seen these girls save more people than you can imagine." He itched to heal some of the more severe injuries Devona sported, but wasn't sure how to broach the subject without scaring her. He looked to Piper for moral support, than pushed on, "I know this is all very new to you, but I'm a healer, I can help with the pain you're in."  
  
The look she gave him was acidic calm over barely contained panic. "You want to what?"  
  
Piper stepped in, "Devona, I know that you don't know us and you don't have any reason to trust us, but Leo can make you feel better. I swear, he would never harm anyone in this room, including you."  
  
Devona wavered, her need to trust anyone warring with her fear of further betrayal, but in the end the burning pain from the previous night's run for her life won out. "Fine, go ahead."  
  
Leo smiled at her and began to heal the cuts and bruises he could see. She flinched away from his hands at first, then relaxed as the soothing warmth of the healing began to work on her pain and terror soaked nerves.  
  
Prue cleared her throat, "Leo, what can you tell us?"  
  
He stood and turned to face the Charmed Ones, "The warlock that's after Devona, Asura, is a descendant of a long line of warlocks that were well known centuries ago. At one time, his family was considered to be the most powerful of all the warlock families; they were so evil that it's said they might have managed to permanently upset the balance between good and evil forces in the world."  
  
"Well what happened?" Phoebe asked, "What stopped them?"  
  
"A line of witches emerged, the Harstones, born with the exclusive power to vanquish them. They were nearly wiped out, there were fewer than fifteen left alive in the 17th century. The Harstone witches followed them to the Americas and then to Salem, Massachusetts."  
  
Phoebe exclaimed, "Wait! As in, witch trials, Salem?"  
  
Leo nodded, "Exactly. They probably used the chaos to hide themselves and helped keep the hysteria going long enough to force the Harstones underground, giving them time to escape. They never regained their position, though. They vowed to destroy the Harstone line, kill them all."  
  
Phoebe whistled, "That's some revenge."  
  
Leo nodded and glanced cautiously at Devona, who hadn't reacted to anything he'd said. She was much too calm, like none of his words had sunk in. "Devona?"  
  
"Yes?" One word was enough for Leo to see that Devona wasn't nearly as unaffected as he'd first thought. She seemed calm but her voice was shaky and uneven, balanced delicately on the brink of hysteria. Her fists were clenched tight, her knuckles pale and bloodless while her fingernails had carved red crescents into several places on her palms, though she didn't appear to be aware that she'd hurt herself. 

"Do you remember what your grandmother told you a few days before she died?"  
  
Devona frowned, thinking. "She said...she said that I was chosen. That my mother was wrong not to trust me...tell me. She said I should always trust in my feelings and in my power." She bit her lip for a moment, then looked at the people around her, "She was talking about this? Wasn't she?"  
  
"Yes, Devona, she was." Leo responded gently. "There's a prophecy that dates back to your family's beginning, that one day a Harstone witch, the last of her line, would complete her family's quest to destroy Asura's family."  
  
"Me." It wasn't a question. 

Leo could tell that her newly awakened powers were working in his favor; she could feel the truth in what he was saying and wasn't going to deny it. "Yes, you. You are the last Harstone witch."  
  
"Why didn't anyone tell me? Why didn't I know?" Tears threatened to overflow her eyes and spill freely down her cheeks. "Did my mother know about this?" Leo nodded silently. "Why didn't she tell me? Why?" Phoebe moved to kneel beside her and hugged her as she began to cry softly.  
  
Leo knelt on her other side and put one hand on her knee, when she looked at him he said, "She meant to protect you. She knew your destiny, how powerful you were. She knew that they would sense your birth and that she wasn't powerful enough to protect you before you came into your power, so she hid you instead."  
  
Phoebe stroked Devona's hair absently, "Did she bind Devona's powers? The way Grams bound ours?"  
  
"Yes. She cast other spells too, protection and concealment spells before Devona was born. Asura believed that her mother was the last of the line; until she died and her spells around Devona began to fade. That's when Asura discovered her and began to stalk her."  
  
"So all we need is a spell to vanquish Asura then, right?" Prue asked.  
  
"It's not that easy." Leo explained, "The only place it exists is in the Harstone Book of Shadows, and we don't have it here."  
  
"Do you know, Devona?" Piper asked.  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"Do you know where your family's Book of Shadows, spellbook, is?"  
  
Devona shook her head and gestured toward the Book on the table, "Like that? No, I've never seen anything like it. I sold most of my mother's things after she died, there were some books, but I never had time to go through them all, I just packed them up."  
  
Prue sighed. "Do you remember who bought your mother's books?"  
  
"Yeah, the entire estate was bought by an auction house. I think they have offices here in the city, I sent them to San Francisco somewhere."  
  
"Do you remember the name?" Piper asked.  
  
Devona chewed on her bottom lip, "Not really. It was something with a 'B', I'm really not too sure though."  
  
Prue cocked her head, "Bucklands?"  
  
"Yeah, that sounds right. You know it?"  
  
Prue had to laugh at the irony, "Yeah, I used to work there."  
  
Phoebe stood up and said matter of factly, "Well, we'll just have to break in and see if it's there."  
  
End Part Three  
  


  
Yay! This part has been driving me nuts. That, and figuring out a power for Devona. It's so cliché to just give one of the charmed ones powers, right? So she needs one of her own... oh well, not an immediate problem...but if you think of a good one, let me know.  
  
Part four may be a little while in coming, I'm still working on my outline a bit...i want to do a lot with this story, so I've got to do it in the right order.


End file.
